UPDATE In most remote unserved or underserved areas, the lack of a good cell signal is an inconvenience. For people making border crossings through desert regions, the results can be fatal, reports The Telegraph. Those hoping to evade border patrols may try walking across hot sand, not anticipating that blistering feet, dehydration, and the inability to call for help could put an end to their journey.
In 2020, 227 bodies were found near the Arizona/Mexico border, a notable increase from previous years, notes The Telegraph. Two advocacy groups, “No More Deaths” and the “Coalición de Derechos Humanos,” studied cases of unsuccessful border crossings and found that individuals who perished in the sojourn had dead batteries or were unable to connect to a cell signal. The report also identified calls where the connection came through, but the responding agency was unable to locate the caller.
Inside Towers previously reported on situations near the border that were not life-threatening, but were problematic because of competing signals and jurisdictions between the two countries. There are also areas like Arizona’s Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge where there is no coverage at all. The new report also suggested that calls routed to different agencies may be prioritized differently. For example, Parker Deighan, a volunteer with No More Deaths, stated that Border Patrol calls are “aggressive” and provide “no accountability as to what the outcomes of these cases are.”
For its part, the Pima County Sheriff’s department has stated that “regardless of immigration status, lost-person calls are handled in the same fashion; life safety is the priority,” adding, “regardless of where the lost person is from, what language they speak, or the phone number they call from, it is still a life and our top priority.” The Border Patrol also said it “remains committed to humanely securing the southern border,” citing a rescue earlier this month of a woman airlifted to safety after her GPS signal pinpointed her location, according to The Telegraph.
“CBP components will move heaven and earth to find someone who is lost, injured or unable to continue,” stated Tucson Sector interim chief John Modlin in a news release. “All too often, like today, migrants are wearing camouflage and avoiding being seen until it’s too late. Luckily this woman was able to call for help, and we were able to determine her location.”
Sophie Smith, a No More Deaths volunteer and co-author of the report, said, “I think that dealing with the root causes that are putting people out into the desert with no cell phone reception and leading them to die on U.S. soil because of blisters on their feet, that is what needs to be addressed, more than beefing up law enforcement.” Smith would like to see the removal of checkpoints, walls, and surveillance technology.
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